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Y7/Y8 and Y20 Summits | Young European Leadership

Y7/Y8 and Y20 Summits

The Y7/Y8 and Y20 Summits, formerly known as the G8 & G20 Youth Summits, are a premier international youth conferences that bring together young leaders representing the Group of Seven (G7) / Group of Eight (G8) and Group of Twenty (G20). The Summits enable the young generation to put their concerns and solutions on the global agenda. The outcomes of the Summits are passed on to global policy makers to make the concerns and innovative solutions of young people heard. As a result, in 2015 and 2014 a key clause on youth employment from the Y20 recommendations was adopted by the G20 Heads of State and Government in their final communiqué. The schedule Youth Summits paralleled the one of the G7/G8 and the G20. Learn what past delegates say about the Summits, get to know the EU Alumni, and read past outcomes.

Y20 Summit 2019

The Y20 Summit 2018 is taking place in Tokyo, Japan from May 26-30 2019.

The Y20, an official engagement group, is held before the G20 summit in order to allow youth delegates representing the G20 members to create and submit policy recommendations to the G20′s leaders. This year’s summit has three themes present in its agenda

International Trade : International trade is one of the key components of the world economy. It is evolving with increasing complexity and in part influenced by the current political climate. New technologies – in both physical and virtual infrastructure –are providing global products and services in a world where geographical borders matter much less than before. As young professionals, Y20 delegates will discuss the way international trade is changing and what shape it might take in the future.

Business and Environment : Global efforts to address environmental issues have produced tangible outcomes (the Paris Agreement, SDGs etc.), yet further international collaboration is required to take transformative actions to combat environmental issues including climate change and the increasingly recognized issue of marine plastic debris. Y20 delegates will discuss how governments and corporations are able to maintain their economic growth while moving towards sustainable environment.

Future of work : The labor force is changing dramatically due to various macro-level shifts including the digital economy, aging society, gender reforms and emerging technologies. Unless people are given the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to adapt to a changing work environment, many will face unemployment, which in turn may exacerbate inequality. Y20 delegates will discuss how our labor force should function in the future and how to prepare for inevitable shifts in the world economy.

Delegates requirements:

Age : between 18 and 30 years old on the 26th of May 2019

Visa : each delegate is responsible for visa, if necessary, to enter Japan

Financial support

For the entire duration of the Summit, all costs for participants will be covered, except personal expenses and international travel to Japan (VISA and transportation). Please note that YEL cannot offer financial support to its delegation for travel, but can provide materials to support delegates’ own fundraising efforts from their university, employer, NGOs etc.

If you want to know more about the Y20 Summit itself, do not hesitate to check out their official website here !

If you wish to be part of the two YEL delegates representing the European Union to the Y20 summit 2019, you can apply here.

Please read through the application requirements carefully. For full details regarding applications requirements, please consult our Terms of Appointment. Any enquiries about the application should be addressed to events@younglead.eu.

Y7 Summit 2019

The Y7 Summit 2019 will be taking place in Paris, France from the 10th to the 15th of June 2019. The Y7 is an official engagement group of the G7, inviting young people from all the G7 members in order to create at least one policy recommendation that will be submitted to the G7 leaders. This year’s Y7 has for theme “inequalities”. More particularly it will focus on 4 types of inequalities:

Economic inequalities

Environmental inequalities

Technological inequalities

Gender inequalities

Application requirements

YEL is recruiting 4 delegates to represent the European Union at the Y7 summit. Delegates must be aged between 18-30 at the time of the Summit.

Delegates must be able to attend the delegates training in Brussels, the Summit for its entire duration as well as attend the follow-up meeting with relevant policy makers in Brussels (date to be defined). Delegates need also to participate to the pre-summit online webinar of the Y7 in order to get familiar with the topics of the future negotiations.

YEL Delegation expectations: Informing and inspiring peers

A key part of YEL delegates’ mission is to inform and inspire. As representatives of European youth at this global policy-making event, the delegation’s aim is to share their insights of the issues tackled at the Y7 with an international community of young people.

As such, delegates, are expected to contribute to media outputs, such as photos, articles, blogs and videos. Delegates will define the themes they wish to tackle, the format of media outputs and contribute to the promotion strategy with the support of the YEL delegation project lead.

Financial support

For the entire duration of the Summit, all costs for participants will be covered (except personal expenses and international travel to Canada). Please note that YEL cannot offer financial support to its delegation for travel, but can provide materials to support delegates’ own fundraising efforts from their university, employer, NGOs etc.

If you want to be part of the four delegates representing the European Union to the Y7 2019 summit, then apply here! The YEL delegation application deadline is Sunday the 10th of February 2019 at 20:00 CET (Brussels time).

Please read through the application requirements carefully. For full details regarding applications requirements, please consult our Terms of Appointment. Any enquiries about the application should be addressed to events@younglead.eu.

The Y20 Summit 2018 took place in the province of Cordoba, Argentina from August 13-19 2018.

The Summit addressed the theme “education for development” and focused on three central pillars: sustainability, gender equality and fairness. Four task forces were established in order to allow participants to address the following topics:

The Youth 7 Summit 2017 took place in Rome, Italy from Sunday 7 May to Tuesday 9 May 2017 as the official counterpart to the G7 Summit 2017 Italy. The outcomes of the summit were directly forwarded to the Italian G7 Sherpa Ambassador Raffaele Trombetta, who reaffirmed the Presidency’s commitment to take the youth perspective into account. The Y7 aims to present global leaders with concrete proposals from young international leaders. This year, the theme of Y7 Italy 2017 was “Rethinking Innovation as catalyst for an inclusive, open and sustainable growth“. Delegates touched upon innovation, skills and labour in the age of the Next Production Revolution.

The European Union was represented by four delegates at the Y7 Summit Italy 2017: Paloma Cantero Gómez (Head delegate), Umit Can Duman, Andreea Grigorescu and Guillaume Thibault. For more about the Y7 2017, visit g7italy.it/en.

The Youth 20 Summit 2016 took place in Beijing and Shanghai, China from July 30 – August 6, as the official counterpart to the G20 Summit 2016 China. The outcomes of the Summit were directly forwarded to the G20 Heads of State and Government to inform and shape global politics from a young perspective. The outcome of the Y20 will aimed at presenting global leaders with concrete proposals from young international leaders. This year, the theme of Y20 China 2016 have been “Innovation and Partnership for an Inclusive World“. As such, delegates touched upon inter alia employment, economic development and youth innovation.

The Y7 Summit 2016 took place in Tokyo, Japan, from April 30-May 4, as the official counterpart to the G7 Summit 2016 Japan. The outcomes negotiated by the delegation of the European Union at the Summit were directly forwarded to the G7 Heads of State and Government to inform and shape global politics from a young perspective. The Final Communiqué aimed at providing input on (1) What action should we demand our government to take?, (2) What action should we demand our government to take for youth?, and (3) What can and should the young people do? The topics of the Y7 2016 will be:

The European Union delegation is composed by 4 young women and 1 young man, coming from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK: Lead Delegate: Hélène DE VESTELE, Core Delegates: Olga KARNAS, Alexia LOCHMANN, Kaspar MEYER, and Melanie RIDEOUT. Watch the video to meet the delegation of the European Union to the Y7 Summit 2016. To follow the delegation during the Summit, follow YEL on social media:

The Y20 Summit 2015 took place in Istanbul, Turkey in August 15th-21st. It was an integral part of the Turkish G20 presidency as the official young counterpart. The Final Communiqué of the Y20 Summit 2015 is available here.

The premier international youth conference brought together young leaders and enabled them to put their concerns and solutions on the global agenda. The topics of the Y20 have been:

Youth Unemployment

Youth and Education in the 21st Century

Youth’s Contribution to Peace

The European Union delegation was represented by five delegates from Germany, Poland, Italy, and France. Together with other aspiring leaders from around the G20 and its outreach countries they worked on above topics. The outcome of the negotiations of the Y20 will aimed at presenting global leaders with concrete proposals from young international leaders in these areas. The final agreement is directly passed on to Heads of State and Government of the G20 member countries.

In preparation of the Y20 Summit the European Union delegation convenes in Brussels. Over several days YEL Staff and past Y20 delegates provide workshops such as public speaking and negotiation training. Delegates also meet with key stakeholders, in particular Mr. Richard Szostak (G20 Sherpa, European Commission), Mr. Guntram Wolff (Director, Bruegel), Ms. Maria Åsenius (Head of Cabinet for Cecilia Malmström, European Commission), Mr. Pekka Hakala (Head of Unit, European Parliament), and Mr. Jānis Bērziņš (Representative, Latvian Presidency of the European Council). These meetings serve to foster the dialogue between the delegates representing the youth of the European Union and senior decision makers in the EU. Access the Press Release concerning the preparatory meetings here.

For press, please contact events@younglead.eu, subject “Y20 2015 Press Inquiry”. For insights and testimonials from past years see here or watch videos from past events. To learn more about the speakers and guests to preparatory meetings of Y20 delegations and other events of YEL, details here.

European Union Y20 Head Delegate

Ms. Katharina Lawall

From Germany

Having lived and worked in Berlin, London and Paris, I am very passionate about the European project and am currently pursuing a degree in Comparative Political Science/European Affairs at UCL and Sciences Po Paris. My academic interest in politics has been confirmed by professional experience in the European Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag, European NGOs and my involvement in European-wide student organizations. To counter popular disenchantment with politics, I strongly believe that young people’s opinions on important issues such as unemployment and climate change have to be heard and taken more seriously. Representing the EU at the Youth Forum of the G20 is a unique chance to show the world that young people are not only interested, but also capable of contributing innovative solutions to today’s most pressing issues.

European Union Y20 Core Delegates

Ms. Anna Wojcik

From Poland

I’m Anna, a journalist, editor, and translator covering social, economic, and political transformations of Central and Eastern Europe with focus on politics of innovation and digital toolkit for democracy promotion. I have a background in law, philosophy, and social sciences. Studies in Warsaw and Paris, as well as reporting on new EU member states, allowed me to acquire a broad perspective on European affairs. I see the delegation to the Y20 summit as a unique opportunity to voice young generations concerns and ambitions, and discuss most pertinent issues in a global community.

Mr. Edoardo Cilla

From Italy

Traveling is my greatest passion: I have been living in four different countries where I had the unique opportunity to discover very different cultures. Both my studies and working experiences around the world helped me in developing critical thinking skills which are fundamental to better understand the world around me. The Y20 is a great opportunity for young people to speak up and make an impact: we are the future and we need to play an active role in making the world a better place for future generations. I look forward to meeting other delegations and start working with them. This is our the time to act.

Ms. Elodie Liobard

From France

Having lived in France, Finland, Turkey, the USA and the MENA region, I bring along a multicultural background. In addition to academic knowledge acquired on Conflict Resolution and, on the Arab and the Caucasian worlds at Sciences Po Lyon, in France, and the University of Virginia, in the USA, I have acquired experience in both official and informal dialogue platforms as well as in diplomatic fields such as public and private diplomacy. Being more a facilitator for dialogue platforms, I really look forward to being a contributor to the Youth-20 Summit which represents a unique opportunity to make the global youth’s voice heard at a time when this main part of the global population is not sufficiently included.

Mr. Marco Ranaldi

From Italy

In a world in transformation, where information and innovations move faster than our actions, having a dynamic and responsive sight of the things happening is of utmost importance. That is why youth contribution at Y20 is an essential resource for global policies. Currently attending a master degree at The Paris School of Economics, with a background in applied mathematics and statistics, I strongly believe in the role of multidisciplinary approach to tackle the most disparate problems in a free and creative way. In addition, my numerous travels, especially in the Middle East let me to realize one thing: borders are a handshake rather than a back to back. Looking forward to Turkey, looking forward to shake hands.

The Y20 Summit 2014 was embedded in the official processes of the Australian G20 presidency. The delegations representing their own countries convened to discuss globally pressing issues and to inform global policy making, in particular (i) Growth and jobs creation, (ii) Global citizenship, and (iii) Sustainable development. The summit took place 12-15 July 2014 in Sydney, Australia and welcomed participants from all G20 countries including the EU as well as the invited observers from Myanmar, Senegal, Singapore, New Zealand, Spain, and the Head of the African Union.

The delegation of the European Union and the Special Advisers started communications online and had their first physical meeting of the delegation in Brussels framed by the Youth European Leadership Workshops, including meetings with EU policy makers, workshops on selected topics, and leadership and negotiation training. Afterwards the Y20 prenegotiations started, laying important ground for the discussions in Australia. The preparations culminated in a very successful summit in Sydney. The final recommendations forwarded to the Sherpas as well as Heads or State and Government is composed of 15 recommendations. 13/15 of these recommendations had significant European Union delegation influence and 6/15 recommendations were initiated and led by the European Union delegations. In addition, a key clause on youth employment was included in the G20 final communiqué. During a meeting at the European Parliament President Martin Schulz was impressed by the quality, structure, and approach the delegates took. Click to download the official Y20 Declaration and the final recommendations.

European Union Head Delegate

Ms. Sophia Clementi

From Italy

The Y20 is a unique opportunity for the youth of the world to meaningfully shape the international discourse about some of the most pressing topics of our time. It provides the opportunity to connect with like-minded youth from all over the world and begin our combined engagement in international decision-making. I expect to learn from the backgrounds of the many other participants, further the interests of the youth of the EU, and deepen my understanding of international diplomacy.

European Union Core Delegates

Ms. Jelena Kiselova

From Latvia

Representing the European Union youth will be a great honour as well as a great responsibility. We have to demonstrate to governments that we are a reliable and stable partner who can contribute salient knowledge and experience. Now is the time to prove that taking advice from youth is not shameful – it is wise consultation.

Mr. Nicolas Wolkonsky

From France

It is of paramount importance that the world leaders involve the young people in the decision-making process. Especially when their decision will affect our own future. I am very excited to meet young leaders willing to do more in the field of international cooperation.

Ms. Noora Lampinen

From Finland

I seek new experiences, knowledge and networks from the Y20 summit. I want to gain new insight to how the summit works, become a better debater and public speaker, hear the positions of other young people from different parts of the world on topical issues. Most importantly I want to see a platypus, kangaroo and koala.

Mr. Lucas Schaefer

From Germany

Esteemed young people of Europe, the time has come to reveal the truth: you, the young people, need to find a voice to shape your future. When a continent is in a crunch, young people must bring the lucky punch. A strong Europe needs to bring hope for the future within the reach of every young person. That is what I will put all my heart and brain into from now until Sydney, fervently rendering my services as an EU Y20 delegate. Passionate, proactive, positive: that is my mantra!

Impressions from the Y8 Summit 2013The 2013 host-countries have been Russia (Y20) and the UK (Y8). The Y20 Summit took place in Saint Petersburg at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. The Y20 Summit is the official youth counterpart of the G20 meetings. The European Union was represented by five delegates from Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, and Greece. The Y8 Summit took place at the Greenwich University in London, UK. Following a slightly different format the delegation of European Union was be the largest delegation of all, coming from Belgium, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, and most notably Croatia. The delegates were supported by an international set of Special Advisers.

Insights into the meetings and preparatory events in Brussels.

It is the goal of Young European Leadership to optimally prepare the Y8 delegation and the Y20 delegation of the European Union. For this, members of the EU delegation were joined in Brussels by delegates from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The purpose of the European Union Delegation Journey is to enable a fruitful exchange between key players of the European policy making and the representatives at the Y8 and Y20 Summits. The event also gave the delegates the opportunity to start their joint preparations for the upcoming international negotiations in London and St. Petersburg. The delegates discussed with the G20 Chief-Negotiator of the European Union José Antonio Cabral and his assistant Florian Köbele. They where received by the Prime Minister of Belgium Elio Di Rupo in his residence and exchanged thoughts with the advisers to the President of the European Parliament Arnoldas Pranckevicius and Marc Jütten, the NATO Chief Economist Adrian Kendry, several members of different parties of the European Parliament, the Secretary General of the leading European economic think tank Bruegel Matt Dann, members of the British Chamber of Commerce, and the President of the European Youth Forum Peter Matjašič. The event was organized Young European Leadership in close cooperation with Youth Diplomacy, YEL’s French sister association in The IDEA.

Agathe Demarais – Lead Delegate / President

Agathe in one word: Enthusiastic! She lives in Moscow, Russia and works for the French Treasury on economic and financial topics related to CIS countries. Beforehand she studied in Paris, Vancouver, and New York City. Agathe is leading the delegation of the European Union at the Y20 Saint Petersburg Summit. In the name of her delegation and the European Union she will sign the Final Communiqué, which will be presented to the G20 leaders. She is from France, but depending on her mood sometimes also from Mars or the moon.

Evelina Sandalova

One word about Evelina: Determined! Currently she is interning in Sofia, Bulgaria in a financial company working on the energy and commodities trading markets but actually she is a student at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. At the Y20 she will concentrate on sustainability and security-related questions. Evelina is from Bulgaria. However, she feels more European because she had the chance to live in a couple European countries and see for herself that nationality does not always determine the character of the person.

Vasileios Tsianos

Restless describes Vasileios the best! He lives in Canada where he is graduating in Chemical Engineering and Economics at the University of Toronto. Alongside his academic achievements he gained the Canadian professional certifications in finance and risk management. Vasileios will represent the European Union in matters of Growth and Development at the Y20 in St. Petersburg. He is a very proud European from the cradle of democracy: Athens in Greece.

Arndt Emmerich

Arndt would describe himself in one word as curious! At the moment he is living in Oxford in the United Kingdom where he is doing a PhD in International Development at the University of Oxford. Beforehand he studied in Germany, Great Britain, India and China. Arndt will represent the European Union at the Y20 Summit, focusing on development-related questions. He is native German but lived for over three years in India and five years in the UK.

Thomas Dermine

Before all other things Thomas is enthusiastic! He is currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. There he is doing Public Policy Analysis at the Harvard Kennedy School. However, beforehand he studied at the Université Libre de Brussels and McGill in Canada. After working on financial and regulatory issues for McKinsey, Thomas will specialize on Financial and Monetary topics during the Y20 negotiations in Saint Petersburg. Originally Thomas is from Charleroi, Belgium.

Sabina Kravcakova – President of the Commission

Sabina is simply a challenge-seeker. Currently Sabina is living in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. There she is graduating this year with a B.A. Double Degree at University of British Columbia in International Relations and Sciences Po Paris, specializing in European affairs. Sabina represents the EU as President of the Commission. Together with the President of the Council she is leading the delegation and signs the Final Communiqué in the name of the European Union. Sabina is born in Slovakia but on the best way to become a veritable global citizen.

David-Jan Bosschaert – President of the Council

David and his career thus far can be accurately described as “driven”! Ever since moving from his sunny motherland (the Philippines) to his rainy old fatherland (Belgium) he has been guided by an inner drive aspiring for the greater things in life. Holding university degrees in both History and Law, David will be the President of the Council of the European Union at the Y8 London summit. David co-leads the delegation and co-signs in the name of 27 +1 nations. He holds both the Belgian and Philippine citizenship.

Guillaume Derom – Sherpa

Guillaume would describe himself as eager. Living in Brussels, the capital of Europe, he studied he studied Contemporary History at the Catholic University of Leuven and the University of Vienna. At the Y8 Summit in London Guillaume will represent the European Union as the Sherpa for the delegation and ‘second brain’ for the Presidents. He is born and bred in Brussels.

Alexandra Rollin – Justice, Fundamental Rights, and Citizenship

In one word, Alex would describe herself as curious. She lives in Reading, UK, and is about to start her studies in (German) Law at the University College London and King’s College London. Alex’s role in the summit is to delegate for the European Union in the Justice and Fundamental Rights committee. Alex is born is British citizen but grew up in a British-Polish bi-national setting.

Anders Taube – High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

“Outgoing” describes Anders best! He is based in in Gothenburg, Sweden, completing his master in international relations at the University of Gothenburg where his main interest are security studies and global political economy. He holds a Bachelor in European studies from Gothenburg University but also studied at Science Po in Bordeaux. In London 2013 Anders will be the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. He is a Swede.

Gijs Leenders – Development

The one word fitting Gijs the best is inquisitive! He grew up in Switzerland, lived with his family in Singapore during the summers, and was always exposed to a myriad of cultures and customs. Now he is living in Canada where he is pursuing a B.A. in International Development Studies and Management at Mc Gill University. At the Y8 in London Gijs represents the European Union as Commissioner for Development. Gijs is citizen of the Netherlands.

Izidora Skračić – Environment, Climate Change, Energy

Izidora is an optimist. Currently sharing her time between Brussels and her native Croatia, Izidora is studying an advanced level of French. She recently worked as a Schuman trainee at the European Parliament. Izidora studied Human Rights in Budapest and International Humanitarian Action in Uppsala and Bilbao. At the Y8 Summit, she will carry out the role of Commissioner for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy. Izidora is Croatian, making the European Union an EU-28 already in June!

Kiran Gupta – High Representative of Defence

A word that describes Kiran is ‘tenacious’. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to Cork in the Republic of Ireland at the age of 11. After graduating with a BA in Communication Studies from Dublin City University, Kiran traveled for a year before moving to the UK, where she studied an MA in International Relations at London Metropolitan University. She currently works for ActionAid and has worked in international development for over five years. Kiran will represent the European Union as the High Representative of Defence at the Y8 Summit 2013. She is an Irish and US citizen.

Patrick Held – Press

Patrick in one word: Benevolent! He has studied Philosophy & Economics, in Bayreuth (Germany), Paris, and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, he was head of the debating union, completed internships at Private Banking and at the Federal Department of Employment, volunteers since years in the asylum-seekers hostel Bayreuth and teaches computer skills. At the YG8 Summit 2013 Patrick will be the Press Secretary of the European Union. Right now he is located in Germany.

In line with the Y8 Summit and the Y20 Summit 2013 Young European Leadership proudly introduces the Special Advisers to the nine representatives of the European Union in London and the five delegates of the European Union to the Y20 Summit in St. Petersburg. The Special Advisers coordinate with the delegates in the run-up to the Summits and give their input according to their fields of expertise.

The primary goal of EUrope’s Voice is to establish common European positions before the entering negotiations at the global summits. The delegations from the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain participate in this European pre-summit. The Communiqués from EUrope’s Voice often serve as blue prints for the final agreements on the Y8 and Y20 levels. Beyond negotiating, the event is a perfect opportunity for the participants to gain insights in local policy making via visits at governments, panel discussions, and such alike.

EUrope’s Voice 2012 took place in Berlin and was organized under the lead of one of YEL’s partners in Germany. Preceding the Y8 & Y20 Summit 2012 in Washington, D.C. the topics ranged from Security of the International Waterways, Global (Youth) Unemployment, LGBT rights, to International and National Regulation of Communication. The Final Communiqué can be downloaded here.

Jeroen Stevens – Head of the European Commission

Jeroen participated as the Head of the European Commission at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in the USA. He is utmost passionate about Model United Nation simulations, which he frequently participated in and organized himself. Jeroen is currently finishing his Masters in International and Comparative Politics with a focus on European Union Studies.

Anna Peck – Head of the European Council

Edoardo Morgante – Sherpa

is currently attending an Advanced Training Course in Diplomatic Studies at the Italian Society for International Organisation (SIOI). He recently achieved his MA in International Relations at LUISS University in Rome. In Spring 2012 he did an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, in the Commercial Service Department (CS Italy). In 2010 he graduated in Political Science and International Relations at La Sapienza University. During his Bachelor program, he studied at the University of Vienna as an Erasmus student and attended an Advanced Training Course in Geopolitics organized by SIOI in collaboration with Limes, the Italian Review of Geopolitics. He was National Coordinator of the Italian United Nations Youth Association during the 2011-2012 term, and Project Manager and Secretary General of ROMUN 2012. He participated in the 2011 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Paris as the Head of State of the Italian Delegation, in the 2012 Y20 in Puebla as Head of the delegation of the European Union and in the 2012 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Washington as Sherpa of the delegation of the EU.

Flóra Rétfalvi – High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

is Vice President of YEL. If Flóra had to be described in one word we could say she is a traveller. She comes from Budapest, Hungary where she first finished a bachelor course of International Economics and did a BA in International Relations. She lived in Livorno (Italy) and Granada (Spain) for study reasons, in Bruxelles while she worked at the European Parliament and in Portsmouth (New Hampshire, USA) where she participated in the 2012 campaign of President Barack Obama. She currently lives in Rome, Italy due to a scholarship in Governmental Sciences and Public Communication and works as a junior public speaking trainer. She truly believes in the European values and in the European Youth, being the future of Europe!

Tillmann Heidelk – Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, and the Euro

is President of Young European Leadership (YEL). Originally from Berlin, he received a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy & Economics from the University of Bayreuth and is just finishing a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Copenhagen.
At the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2010 in Canada, Tillmann represented Germany as the Minister of Economics. For the European Union he participated as the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, and the Euro at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in the USA. In the past Tillmann interned at the German Federal Foreign Office and worked as teacher assistant in quantitative statistics as well as data analyst for Europe & Me. Currently Tillmann is a consultant at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Julien Terragnolo – Representative in the Panel Finance

A dual French and Italian national, Julien attended the French and German High School in Saarbrücken (Germany), and studied economics and economic history before being admitted to business school. He graduated from ESSEC MBA in Paris area, which also gave him an opportunity to attend its campus in Singapore. With a truly global mind, and a passion for finance and political economy, Julien worked at Société Générale in New York in the run-up to the banking and the sovereign debt crisis, before joining the United Nations.

Riccardo Passeggeri – Commissioner for Development

Riccardo Passeggeri has Italian nationality. He is studying now at LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome. When he was young he played football in S.S.Lazio. He was a professional footballer until the age of 20, effectively playing in “Eccellenza” for one year for ASD Monterosi (VT). Currently Riccardo is taking his master in Financial Economics after graduating in the same university with distinction (110/110 summa cum laude). He worked as an intern at the Grameen Bank and at Yunus Social Business Centre with the Nobel Peace Prize 2006 Muhammad Yunus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He represented the European Commissioner for Development at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Jószef is a Hungarian national, who gained economic informatics bachelors degree (specialized on mathematical models) at the University of Miskolc (Hungary), completing the final year of his international management and economics masters degree at the University of Miskolc. He is also in the final, 5th year of his legal studies at the same university. He was an intern at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary during summer, 2012. He represented the EU as the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Daria Mateescu – European Commissioner for the Environment

Preceding the Y8 and Y20 Summit the delegates engaged in discussions with their G8 and G20 partners to set an agenda for the summit, met in Brussels to prepare the negotiations and meet the EU Sherpa team, and got together in an European pre-Summit with the EU counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. This meeting serves to find common European ground to build upon during the Summit.

Delegation Y20 Summit 2012

Radoslav Šoth

Radoslav is a Baccalaureate in Science at the French Lycée Anna de Noailles in Bucharest, BA in History, Master’s degree in European Affairs at Sorbonne University, and he did an internship at the Permanent Representation of Slovakia to the EU followed by an internship in the cabinet of the Slovak Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. He participated in the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Paris and Mexico and thus started with the creation of the association AEGIS aiming to involve European young leaders in the EU foreign policy. This endeavor is related to his Master thesis on “The Voice of the Youth in the EU” in the frame of his current Master in European constitutional law conducted by the universities of Barcelona, Milan, Szczecin and Montpellier. He can speak French, English, Slovak, Czech, Spanish, Italian and Romanian fluently.

Marília Ferreira da Cunha

Marília is aged 25, from Portugal. Marília is currently working as a project officer at the University of Porto, where she is part of the Erasmus Mundus management team. Her work includes managing several cooperation and mobility projects, namely with Latin America and the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific) regions. Marília holds a Bachelor in Languages and International Relations and a Master in History, International Relations and Cooperation, both from the University of Porto. The topic of the master’s research was capacity building and effectiveness in development programmes of Higher Education in East Timor. Within the framework of her professional and academic activity, she participated in several international conferences and received some exchange grants. As a representative of the European Union in the Y20 Conference in Puebla in May 2012, Marília was part of the working group on Youth Employment. The panel discussed the transition from school to work, the importance of informal education and internships and the current situation of unemployed youth around the world.

Edoardo Morgante

Edoardo is currently attending an Advanced Training Course in Diplomatic Studies at the Italian Society for International Organisation (SIOI). He recently achieved his MA in International Relations at LUISS University in Rome. In Spring 2012 he did an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, in the Commercial Service Department (CS Italy). In 2010 he graduated in Political Science and International Relations at La Sapienza University. During his Bachelor program, he studied at the University of Vienna as an Erasmus student and attended an Advanced Training Course in Geopolitics organized by SIOI in collaboration with Limes, the Italian Review of Geopolitics. He was National Coordinator of the Italian United Nations Youth Association during the 2011-2012 term, and Project Manager and Secretary General of ROMUN 2012. He participated in the 2011 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Paris as the Head of State of the Italian Delegation, in the 2012 Y20 in Puebla as Head of the delegation of the European Union and in the 2012 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Washington as Sherpa of the delegation of the EU.

The 2011 delegation for the European Union with Anne Houtman, head of the Representation of the European Commission in France.

2011 the Y8 & Y20 Summits took place in Paris, France, coinciding with French the dual presidency of the G8 and G20. The Delegation of the European Union joined intense negotiations around the theme “global transition towards a multilateral and sustainable world”. The Summit was framed by distinguished guests from the French Treasury and the business world, as well as visits to the embassies.

The 2010 Summit took place in Vancouver, Canada and was the first to invite all G20 nations. It was also the first time the European Union was represented. This laid ground for an ever broader and more realistic approach of the Youth Summits, which became continued 2011. The Summit in Vancouver was proceeded by a European pre-Summit. The outcome of which had a major influence on the the 2010 Final Communiqué.

From 2006 to 2009 the Youth Summits resembled the young version of the G8 Summits. Consequently in 2006 the Y8 Summits took place Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2007: Berlin, Germany, 2008: Yokohama, Japan, and 2009: Milano, Italy. The scale of the events has grown ever since and in 2010 the entire G20 was present.

The Y7/Y8 and Y20 Summits, formerly known as the G8 & G20 Youth Summits, are a premier international youth conferences that bring together young leaders representing the Group of Seven (G7) / Group of Eight (G8) and Group of Twenty (G20). The Summits enable the young generation to put their concerns and solutions on the global agenda. The outcomes of the Summits are passed on to global policy makers to make the concerns and innovative solutions of young people heard. As a result, in 2015 and 2014 a key clause on youth employment from the Y20 recommendations was adopted by the G20 Heads of State and Government in their final communiqué. The schedule Youth Summits paralleled the one of the G7/G8 and the G20. Learn what past delegates say about the Summits, get to know the EU Alumni, and read past outcomes.

Y20 Summit 2019

The Y20 Summit 2018 is taking place in Tokyo, Japan from May 26-30 2019.

The Y20, an official engagement group, is held before the G20 summit in order to allow youth delegates representing the G20 members to create and submit policy recommendations to the G20′s leaders. This year’s summit has three themes present in its agenda

International Trade : International trade is one of the key components of the world economy. It is evolving with increasing complexity and in part influenced by the current political climate. New technologies – in both physical and virtual infrastructure –are providing global products and services in a world where geographical borders matter much less than before. As young professionals, Y20 delegates will discuss the way international trade is changing and what shape it might take in the future.

Business and Environment : Global efforts to address environmental issues have produced tangible outcomes (the Paris Agreement, SDGs etc.), yet further international collaboration is required to take transformative actions to combat environmental issues including climate change and the increasingly recognized issue of marine plastic debris. Y20 delegates will discuss how governments and corporations are able to maintain their economic growth while moving towards sustainable environment.

Future of work : The labor force is changing dramatically due to various macro-level shifts including the digital economy, aging society, gender reforms and emerging technologies. Unless people are given the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to adapt to a changing work environment, many will face unemployment, which in turn may exacerbate inequality. Y20 delegates will discuss how our labor force should function in the future and how to prepare for inevitable shifts in the world economy.

Delegates requirements:

Age : between 18 and 30 years old on the 26th of May 2019

Visa : each delegate is responsible for visa, if necessary, to enter Japan

Financial support

For the entire duration of the Summit, all costs for participants will be covered, except personal expenses and international travel to Japan (VISA and transportation). Please note that YEL cannot offer financial support to its delegation for travel, but can provide materials to support delegates’ own fundraising efforts from their university, employer, NGOs etc.

If you want to know more about the Y20 Summit itself, do not hesitate to check out their official website here !

If you wish to be part of the two YEL delegates representing the European Union to the Y20 summit 2019, you can apply here.

Please read through the application requirements carefully. For full details regarding applications requirements, please consult our Terms of Appointment. Any enquiries about the application should be addressed to events@younglead.eu.

Y7 Summit 2019

The Y7 Summit 2019 will be taking place in Paris, France from the 10th to the 15th of June 2019. The Y7 is an official engagement group of the G7, inviting young people from all the G7 members in order to create at least one policy recommendation that will be submitted to the G7 leaders. This year’s Y7 has for theme “inequalities”. More particularly it will focus on 4 types of inequalities:

Economic inequalities

Environmental inequalities

Technological inequalities

Gender inequalities

Application requirements

YEL is recruiting 4 delegates to represent the European Union at the Y7 summit. Delegates must be aged between 18-30 at the time of the Summit.

Delegates must be able to attend the delegates training in Brussels, the Summit for its entire duration as well as attend the follow-up meeting with relevant policy makers in Brussels (date to be defined). Delegates need also to participate to the pre-summit online webinar of the Y7 in order to get familiar with the topics of the future negotiations.

YEL Delegation expectations: Informing and inspiring peers

A key part of YEL delegates’ mission is to inform and inspire. As representatives of European youth at this global policy-making event, the delegation’s aim is to share their insights of the issues tackled at the Y7 with an international community of young people.

As such, delegates, are expected to contribute to media outputs, such as photos, articles, blogs and videos. Delegates will define the themes they wish to tackle, the format of media outputs and contribute to the promotion strategy with the support of the YEL delegation project lead.

Financial support

For the entire duration of the Summit, all costs for participants will be covered (except personal expenses and international travel to Canada). Please note that YEL cannot offer financial support to its delegation for travel, but can provide materials to support delegates’ own fundraising efforts from their university, employer, NGOs etc.

If you want to be part of the four delegates representing the European Union to the Y7 2019 summit, then apply here! The YEL delegation application deadline is Sunday the 10th of February 2019 at 20:00 CET (Brussels time).

Please read through the application requirements carefully. For full details regarding applications requirements, please consult our Terms of Appointment. Any enquiries about the application should be addressed to events@younglead.eu.

The Y20 Summit 2018 took place in the province of Cordoba, Argentina from August 13-19 2018.

The Summit addressed the theme “education for development” and focused on three central pillars: sustainability, gender equality and fairness. Four task forces were established in order to allow participants to address the following topics:

The Youth 7 Summit 2017 took place in Rome, Italy from Sunday 7 May to Tuesday 9 May 2017 as the official counterpart to the G7 Summit 2017 Italy. The outcomes of the summit were directly forwarded to the Italian G7 Sherpa Ambassador Raffaele Trombetta, who reaffirmed the Presidency’s commitment to take the youth perspective into account. The Y7 aims to present global leaders with concrete proposals from young international leaders. This year, the theme of Y7 Italy 2017 was “Rethinking Innovation as catalyst for an inclusive, open and sustainable growth“. Delegates touched upon innovation, skills and labour in the age of the Next Production Revolution.

The European Union was represented by four delegates at the Y7 Summit Italy 2017: Paloma Cantero Gómez (Head delegate), Umit Can Duman, Andreea Grigorescu and Guillaume Thibault. For more about the Y7 2017, visit g7italy.it/en.

The Youth 20 Summit 2016 took place in Beijing and Shanghai, China from July 30 – August 6, as the official counterpart to the G20 Summit 2016 China. The outcomes of the Summit were directly forwarded to the G20 Heads of State and Government to inform and shape global politics from a young perspective. The outcome of the Y20 will aimed at presenting global leaders with concrete proposals from young international leaders. This year, the theme of Y20 China 2016 have been “Innovation and Partnership for an Inclusive World“. As such, delegates touched upon inter alia employment, economic development and youth innovation.

The Y7 Summit 2016 took place in Tokyo, Japan, from April 30-May 4, as the official counterpart to the G7 Summit 2016 Japan. The outcomes negotiated by the delegation of the European Union at the Summit were directly forwarded to the G7 Heads of State and Government to inform and shape global politics from a young perspective. The Final Communiqué aimed at providing input on (1) What action should we demand our government to take?, (2) What action should we demand our government to take for youth?, and (3) What can and should the young people do? The topics of the Y7 2016 will be:

The European Union delegation is composed by 4 young women and 1 young man, coming from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK: Lead Delegate: Hélène DE VESTELE, Core Delegates: Olga KARNAS, Alexia LOCHMANN, Kaspar MEYER, and Melanie RIDEOUT. Watch the video to meet the delegation of the European Union to the Y7 Summit 2016. To follow the delegation during the Summit, follow YEL on social media:

The Y20 Summit 2015 took place in Istanbul, Turkey in August 15th-21st. It was an integral part of the Turkish G20 presidency as the official young counterpart. The Final Communiqué of the Y20 Summit 2015 is available here.

The premier international youth conference brought together young leaders and enabled them to put their concerns and solutions on the global agenda. The topics of the Y20 have been:

Youth Unemployment

Youth and Education in the 21st Century

Youth’s Contribution to Peace

The European Union delegation was represented by five delegates from Germany, Poland, Italy, and France. Together with other aspiring leaders from around the G20 and its outreach countries they worked on above topics. The outcome of the negotiations of the Y20 will aimed at presenting global leaders with concrete proposals from young international leaders in these areas. The final agreement is directly passed on to Heads of State and Government of the G20 member countries.

In preparation of the Y20 Summit the European Union delegation convenes in Brussels. Over several days YEL Staff and past Y20 delegates provide workshops such as public speaking and negotiation training. Delegates also meet with key stakeholders, in particular Mr. Richard Szostak (G20 Sherpa, European Commission), Mr. Guntram Wolff (Director, Bruegel), Ms. Maria Åsenius (Head of Cabinet for Cecilia Malmström, European Commission), Mr. Pekka Hakala (Head of Unit, European Parliament), and Mr. Jānis Bērziņš (Representative, Latvian Presidency of the European Council). These meetings serve to foster the dialogue between the delegates representing the youth of the European Union and senior decision makers in the EU. Access the Press Release concerning the preparatory meetings here.

For press, please contact events@younglead.eu, subject “Y20 2015 Press Inquiry”. For insights and testimonials from past years see here or watch videos from past events. To learn more about the speakers and guests to preparatory meetings of Y20 delegations and other events of YEL, details here.

European Union Y20 Head Delegate

Ms. Katharina Lawall

From Germany

Having lived and worked in Berlin, London and Paris, I am very passionate about the European project and am currently pursuing a degree in Comparative Political Science/European Affairs at UCL and Sciences Po Paris. My academic interest in politics has been confirmed by professional experience in the European Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag, European NGOs and my involvement in European-wide student organizations. To counter popular disenchantment with politics, I strongly believe that young people’s opinions on important issues such as unemployment and climate change have to be heard and taken more seriously. Representing the EU at the Youth Forum of the G20 is a unique chance to show the world that young people are not only interested, but also capable of contributing innovative solutions to today’s most pressing issues.

European Union Y20 Core Delegates

Ms. Anna Wojcik

From Poland

I’m Anna, a journalist, editor, and translator covering social, economic, and political transformations of Central and Eastern Europe with focus on politics of innovation and digital toolkit for democracy promotion. I have a background in law, philosophy, and social sciences. Studies in Warsaw and Paris, as well as reporting on new EU member states, allowed me to acquire a broad perspective on European affairs. I see the delegation to the Y20 summit as a unique opportunity to voice young generations concerns and ambitions, and discuss most pertinent issues in a global community.

Mr. Edoardo Cilla

From Italy

Traveling is my greatest passion: I have been living in four different countries where I had the unique opportunity to discover very different cultures. Both my studies and working experiences around the world helped me in developing critical thinking skills which are fundamental to better understand the world around me. The Y20 is a great opportunity for young people to speak up and make an impact: we are the future and we need to play an active role in making the world a better place for future generations. I look forward to meeting other delegations and start working with them. This is our the time to act.

Ms. Elodie Liobard

From France

Having lived in France, Finland, Turkey, the USA and the MENA region, I bring along a multicultural background. In addition to academic knowledge acquired on Conflict Resolution and, on the Arab and the Caucasian worlds at Sciences Po Lyon, in France, and the University of Virginia, in the USA, I have acquired experience in both official and informal dialogue platforms as well as in diplomatic fields such as public and private diplomacy. Being more a facilitator for dialogue platforms, I really look forward to being a contributor to the Youth-20 Summit which represents a unique opportunity to make the global youth’s voice heard at a time when this main part of the global population is not sufficiently included.

Mr. Marco Ranaldi

From Italy

In a world in transformation, where information and innovations move faster than our actions, having a dynamic and responsive sight of the things happening is of utmost importance. That is why youth contribution at Y20 is an essential resource for global policies. Currently attending a master degree at The Paris School of Economics, with a background in applied mathematics and statistics, I strongly believe in the role of multidisciplinary approach to tackle the most disparate problems in a free and creative way. In addition, my numerous travels, especially in the Middle East let me to realize one thing: borders are a handshake rather than a back to back. Looking forward to Turkey, looking forward to shake hands.

The Y20 Summit 2014 was embedded in the official processes of the Australian G20 presidency. The delegations representing their own countries convened to discuss globally pressing issues and to inform global policy making, in particular (i) Growth and jobs creation, (ii) Global citizenship, and (iii) Sustainable development. The summit took place 12-15 July 2014 in Sydney, Australia and welcomed participants from all G20 countries including the EU as well as the invited observers from Myanmar, Senegal, Singapore, New Zealand, Spain, and the Head of the African Union.

The delegation of the European Union and the Special Advisers started communications online and had their first physical meeting of the delegation in Brussels framed by the Youth European Leadership Workshops, including meetings with EU policy makers, workshops on selected topics, and leadership and negotiation training. Afterwards the Y20 prenegotiations started, laying important ground for the discussions in Australia. The preparations culminated in a very successful summit in Sydney. The final recommendations forwarded to the Sherpas as well as Heads or State and Government is composed of 15 recommendations. 13/15 of these recommendations had significant European Union delegation influence and 6/15 recommendations were initiated and led by the European Union delegations. In addition, a key clause on youth employment was included in the G20 final communiqué. During a meeting at the European Parliament President Martin Schulz was impressed by the quality, structure, and approach the delegates took. Click to download the official Y20 Declaration and the final recommendations.

European Union Head Delegate

Ms. Sophia Clementi

From Italy

The Y20 is a unique opportunity for the youth of the world to meaningfully shape the international discourse about some of the most pressing topics of our time. It provides the opportunity to connect with like-minded youth from all over the world and begin our combined engagement in international decision-making. I expect to learn from the backgrounds of the many other participants, further the interests of the youth of the EU, and deepen my understanding of international diplomacy.

European Union Core Delegates

Ms. Jelena Kiselova

From Latvia

Representing the European Union youth will be a great honour as well as a great responsibility. We have to demonstrate to governments that we are a reliable and stable partner who can contribute salient knowledge and experience. Now is the time to prove that taking advice from youth is not shameful – it is wise consultation.

Mr. Nicolas Wolkonsky

From France

It is of paramount importance that the world leaders involve the young people in the decision-making process. Especially when their decision will affect our own future. I am very excited to meet young leaders willing to do more in the field of international cooperation.

Ms. Noora Lampinen

From Finland

I seek new experiences, knowledge and networks from the Y20 summit. I want to gain new insight to how the summit works, become a better debater and public speaker, hear the positions of other young people from different parts of the world on topical issues. Most importantly I want to see a platypus, kangaroo and koala.

Mr. Lucas Schaefer

From Germany

Esteemed young people of Europe, the time has come to reveal the truth: you, the young people, need to find a voice to shape your future. When a continent is in a crunch, young people must bring the lucky punch. A strong Europe needs to bring hope for the future within the reach of every young person. That is what I will put all my heart and brain into from now until Sydney, fervently rendering my services as an EU Y20 delegate. Passionate, proactive, positive: that is my mantra!

Impressions from the Y8 Summit 2013The 2013 host-countries have been Russia (Y20) and the UK (Y8). The Y20 Summit took place in Saint Petersburg at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. The Y20 Summit is the official youth counterpart of the G20 meetings. The European Union was represented by five delegates from Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, and Greece. The Y8 Summit took place at the Greenwich University in London, UK. Following a slightly different format the delegation of European Union was be the largest delegation of all, coming from Belgium, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, and most notably Croatia. The delegates were supported by an international set of Special Advisers.

Insights into the meetings and preparatory events in Brussels.

It is the goal of Young European Leadership to optimally prepare the Y8 delegation and the Y20 delegation of the European Union. For this, members of the EU delegation were joined in Brussels by delegates from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The purpose of the European Union Delegation Journey is to enable a fruitful exchange between key players of the European policy making and the representatives at the Y8 and Y20 Summits. The event also gave the delegates the opportunity to start their joint preparations for the upcoming international negotiations in London and St. Petersburg. The delegates discussed with the G20 Chief-Negotiator of the European Union José Antonio Cabral and his assistant Florian Köbele. They where received by the Prime Minister of Belgium Elio Di Rupo in his residence and exchanged thoughts with the advisers to the President of the European Parliament Arnoldas Pranckevicius and Marc Jütten, the NATO Chief Economist Adrian Kendry, several members of different parties of the European Parliament, the Secretary General of the leading European economic think tank Bruegel Matt Dann, members of the British Chamber of Commerce, and the President of the European Youth Forum Peter Matjašič. The event was organized Young European Leadership in close cooperation with Youth Diplomacy, YEL’s French sister association in The IDEA.

Agathe Demarais – Lead Delegate / President

Agathe in one word: Enthusiastic! She lives in Moscow, Russia and works for the French Treasury on economic and financial topics related to CIS countries. Beforehand she studied in Paris, Vancouver, and New York City. Agathe is leading the delegation of the European Union at the Y20 Saint Petersburg Summit. In the name of her delegation and the European Union she will sign the Final Communiqué, which will be presented to the G20 leaders. She is from France, but depending on her mood sometimes also from Mars or the moon.

Evelina Sandalova

One word about Evelina: Determined! Currently she is interning in Sofia, Bulgaria in a financial company working on the energy and commodities trading markets but actually she is a student at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. At the Y20 she will concentrate on sustainability and security-related questions. Evelina is from Bulgaria. However, she feels more European because she had the chance to live in a couple European countries and see for herself that nationality does not always determine the character of the person.

Vasileios Tsianos

Restless describes Vasileios the best! He lives in Canada where he is graduating in Chemical Engineering and Economics at the University of Toronto. Alongside his academic achievements he gained the Canadian professional certifications in finance and risk management. Vasileios will represent the European Union in matters of Growth and Development at the Y20 in St. Petersburg. He is a very proud European from the cradle of democracy: Athens in Greece.

Arndt Emmerich

Arndt would describe himself in one word as curious! At the moment he is living in Oxford in the United Kingdom where he is doing a PhD in International Development at the University of Oxford. Beforehand he studied in Germany, Great Britain, India and China. Arndt will represent the European Union at the Y20 Summit, focusing on development-related questions. He is native German but lived for over three years in India and five years in the UK.

Thomas Dermine

Before all other things Thomas is enthusiastic! He is currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. There he is doing Public Policy Analysis at the Harvard Kennedy School. However, beforehand he studied at the Université Libre de Brussels and McGill in Canada. After working on financial and regulatory issues for McKinsey, Thomas will specialize on Financial and Monetary topics during the Y20 negotiations in Saint Petersburg. Originally Thomas is from Charleroi, Belgium.

Sabina Kravcakova – President of the Commission

Sabina is simply a challenge-seeker. Currently Sabina is living in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. There she is graduating this year with a B.A. Double Degree at University of British Columbia in International Relations and Sciences Po Paris, specializing in European affairs. Sabina represents the EU as President of the Commission. Together with the President of the Council she is leading the delegation and signs the Final Communiqué in the name of the European Union. Sabina is born in Slovakia but on the best way to become a veritable global citizen.

David-Jan Bosschaert – President of the Council

David and his career thus far can be accurately described as “driven”! Ever since moving from his sunny motherland (the Philippines) to his rainy old fatherland (Belgium) he has been guided by an inner drive aspiring for the greater things in life. Holding university degrees in both History and Law, David will be the President of the Council of the European Union at the Y8 London summit. David co-leads the delegation and co-signs in the name of 27 +1 nations. He holds both the Belgian and Philippine citizenship.

Guillaume Derom – Sherpa

Guillaume would describe himself as eager. Living in Brussels, the capital of Europe, he studied he studied Contemporary History at the Catholic University of Leuven and the University of Vienna. At the Y8 Summit in London Guillaume will represent the European Union as the Sherpa for the delegation and ‘second brain’ for the Presidents. He is born and bred in Brussels.

Alexandra Rollin – Justice, Fundamental Rights, and Citizenship

In one word, Alex would describe herself as curious. She lives in Reading, UK, and is about to start her studies in (German) Law at the University College London and King’s College London. Alex’s role in the summit is to delegate for the European Union in the Justice and Fundamental Rights committee. Alex is born is British citizen but grew up in a British-Polish bi-national setting.

Anders Taube – High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

“Outgoing” describes Anders best! He is based in in Gothenburg, Sweden, completing his master in international relations at the University of Gothenburg where his main interest are security studies and global political economy. He holds a Bachelor in European studies from Gothenburg University but also studied at Science Po in Bordeaux. In London 2013 Anders will be the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. He is a Swede.

Gijs Leenders – Development

The one word fitting Gijs the best is inquisitive! He grew up in Switzerland, lived with his family in Singapore during the summers, and was always exposed to a myriad of cultures and customs. Now he is living in Canada where he is pursuing a B.A. in International Development Studies and Management at Mc Gill University. At the Y8 in London Gijs represents the European Union as Commissioner for Development. Gijs is citizen of the Netherlands.

Izidora Skračić – Environment, Climate Change, Energy

Izidora is an optimist. Currently sharing her time between Brussels and her native Croatia, Izidora is studying an advanced level of French. She recently worked as a Schuman trainee at the European Parliament. Izidora studied Human Rights in Budapest and International Humanitarian Action in Uppsala and Bilbao. At the Y8 Summit, she will carry out the role of Commissioner for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy. Izidora is Croatian, making the European Union an EU-28 already in June!

Kiran Gupta – High Representative of Defence

A word that describes Kiran is ‘tenacious’. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to Cork in the Republic of Ireland at the age of 11. After graduating with a BA in Communication Studies from Dublin City University, Kiran traveled for a year before moving to the UK, where she studied an MA in International Relations at London Metropolitan University. She currently works for ActionAid and has worked in international development for over five years. Kiran will represent the European Union as the High Representative of Defence at the Y8 Summit 2013. She is an Irish and US citizen.

Patrick Held – Press

Patrick in one word: Benevolent! He has studied Philosophy & Economics, in Bayreuth (Germany), Paris, and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, he was head of the debating union, completed internships at Private Banking and at the Federal Department of Employment, volunteers since years in the asylum-seekers hostel Bayreuth and teaches computer skills. At the YG8 Summit 2013 Patrick will be the Press Secretary of the European Union. Right now he is located in Germany.

In line with the Y8 Summit and the Y20 Summit 2013 Young European Leadership proudly introduces the Special Advisers to the nine representatives of the European Union in London and the five delegates of the European Union to the Y20 Summit in St. Petersburg. The Special Advisers coordinate with the delegates in the run-up to the Summits and give their input according to their fields of expertise.

The primary goal of EUrope’s Voice is to establish common European positions before the entering negotiations at the global summits. The delegations from the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain participate in this European pre-summit. The Communiqués from EUrope’s Voice often serve as blue prints for the final agreements on the Y8 and Y20 levels. Beyond negotiating, the event is a perfect opportunity for the participants to gain insights in local policy making via visits at governments, panel discussions, and such alike.

EUrope’s Voice 2012 took place in Berlin and was organized under the lead of one of YEL’s partners in Germany. Preceding the Y8 & Y20 Summit 2012 in Washington, D.C. the topics ranged from Security of the International Waterways, Global (Youth) Unemployment, LGBT rights, to International and National Regulation of Communication. The Final Communiqué can be downloaded here.

Jeroen Stevens – Head of the European Commission

Jeroen participated as the Head of the European Commission at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in the USA. He is utmost passionate about Model United Nation simulations, which he frequently participated in and organized himself. Jeroen is currently finishing his Masters in International and Comparative Politics with a focus on European Union Studies.

Anna Peck – Head of the European Council

Edoardo Morgante – Sherpa

is currently attending an Advanced Training Course in Diplomatic Studies at the Italian Society for International Organisation (SIOI). He recently achieved his MA in International Relations at LUISS University in Rome. In Spring 2012 he did an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, in the Commercial Service Department (CS Italy). In 2010 he graduated in Political Science and International Relations at La Sapienza University. During his Bachelor program, he studied at the University of Vienna as an Erasmus student and attended an Advanced Training Course in Geopolitics organized by SIOI in collaboration with Limes, the Italian Review of Geopolitics. He was National Coordinator of the Italian United Nations Youth Association during the 2011-2012 term, and Project Manager and Secretary General of ROMUN 2012. He participated in the 2011 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Paris as the Head of State of the Italian Delegation, in the 2012 Y20 in Puebla as Head of the delegation of the European Union and in the 2012 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Washington as Sherpa of the delegation of the EU.

Flóra Rétfalvi – High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

is Vice President of YEL. If Flóra had to be described in one word we could say she is a traveller. She comes from Budapest, Hungary where she first finished a bachelor course of International Economics and did a BA in International Relations. She lived in Livorno (Italy) and Granada (Spain) for study reasons, in Bruxelles while she worked at the European Parliament and in Portsmouth (New Hampshire, USA) where she participated in the 2012 campaign of President Barack Obama. She currently lives in Rome, Italy due to a scholarship in Governmental Sciences and Public Communication and works as a junior public speaking trainer. She truly believes in the European values and in the European Youth, being the future of Europe!

Tillmann Heidelk – Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, and the Euro

is President of Young European Leadership (YEL). Originally from Berlin, he received a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy & Economics from the University of Bayreuth and is just finishing a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Copenhagen.
At the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2010 in Canada, Tillmann represented Germany as the Minister of Economics. For the European Union he participated as the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, and the Euro at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in the USA. In the past Tillmann interned at the German Federal Foreign Office and worked as teacher assistant in quantitative statistics as well as data analyst for Europe & Me. Currently Tillmann is a consultant at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Julien Terragnolo – Representative in the Panel Finance

A dual French and Italian national, Julien attended the French and German High School in Saarbrücken (Germany), and studied economics and economic history before being admitted to business school. He graduated from ESSEC MBA in Paris area, which also gave him an opportunity to attend its campus in Singapore. With a truly global mind, and a passion for finance and political economy, Julien worked at Société Générale in New York in the run-up to the banking and the sovereign debt crisis, before joining the United Nations.

Riccardo Passeggeri – Commissioner for Development

Riccardo Passeggeri has Italian nationality. He is studying now at LUISS Guido Carli University of Rome. When he was young he played football in S.S.Lazio. He was a professional footballer until the age of 20, effectively playing in “Eccellenza” for one year for ASD Monterosi (VT). Currently Riccardo is taking his master in Financial Economics after graduating in the same university with distinction (110/110 summa cum laude). He worked as an intern at the Grameen Bank and at Yunus Social Business Centre with the Nobel Peace Prize 2006 Muhammad Yunus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He represented the European Commissioner for Development at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Jószef is a Hungarian national, who gained economic informatics bachelors degree (specialized on mathematical models) at the University of Miskolc (Hungary), completing the final year of his international management and economics masters degree at the University of Miskolc. He is also in the final, 5th year of his legal studies at the same university. He was an intern at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary during summer, 2012. He represented the EU as the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship at the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summit 2012 in Washington, D.C.

Daria Mateescu – European Commissioner for the Environment

Preceding the Y8 and Y20 Summit the delegates engaged in discussions with their G8 and G20 partners to set an agenda for the summit, met in Brussels to prepare the negotiations and meet the EU Sherpa team, and got together in an European pre-Summit with the EU counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. This meeting serves to find common European ground to build upon during the Summit.

Delegation Y20 Summit 2012

Radoslav Šoth

Radoslav is a Baccalaureate in Science at the French Lycée Anna de Noailles in Bucharest, BA in History, Master’s degree in European Affairs at Sorbonne University, and he did an internship at the Permanent Representation of Slovakia to the EU followed by an internship in the cabinet of the Slovak Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. He participated in the Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Paris and Mexico and thus started with the creation of the association AEGIS aiming to involve European young leaders in the EU foreign policy. This endeavor is related to his Master thesis on “The Voice of the Youth in the EU” in the frame of his current Master in European constitutional law conducted by the universities of Barcelona, Milan, Szczecin and Montpellier. He can speak French, English, Slovak, Czech, Spanish, Italian and Romanian fluently.

Marília Ferreira da Cunha

Marília is aged 25, from Portugal. Marília is currently working as a project officer at the University of Porto, where she is part of the Erasmus Mundus management team. Her work includes managing several cooperation and mobility projects, namely with Latin America and the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific) regions. Marília holds a Bachelor in Languages and International Relations and a Master in History, International Relations and Cooperation, both from the University of Porto. The topic of the master’s research was capacity building and effectiveness in development programmes of Higher Education in East Timor. Within the framework of her professional and academic activity, she participated in several international conferences and received some exchange grants. As a representative of the European Union in the Y20 Conference in Puebla in May 2012, Marília was part of the working group on Youth Employment. The panel discussed the transition from school to work, the importance of informal education and internships and the current situation of unemployed youth around the world.

Edoardo Morgante

Edoardo is currently attending an Advanced Training Course in Diplomatic Studies at the Italian Society for International Organisation (SIOI). He recently achieved his MA in International Relations at LUISS University in Rome. In Spring 2012 he did an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, in the Commercial Service Department (CS Italy). In 2010 he graduated in Political Science and International Relations at La Sapienza University. During his Bachelor program, he studied at the University of Vienna as an Erasmus student and attended an Advanced Training Course in Geopolitics organized by SIOI in collaboration with Limes, the Italian Review of Geopolitics. He was National Coordinator of the Italian United Nations Youth Association during the 2011-2012 term, and Project Manager and Secretary General of ROMUN 2012. He participated in the 2011 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Paris as the Head of State of the Italian Delegation, in the 2012 Y20 in Puebla as Head of the delegation of the European Union and in the 2012 Y8 & Y20 Youth Summits in Washington as Sherpa of the delegation of the EU.

The 2011 delegation for the European Union with Anne Houtman, head of the Representation of the European Commission in France.

2011 the Y8 & Y20 Summits took place in Paris, France, coinciding with French the dual presidency of the G8 and G20. The Delegation of the European Union joined intense negotiations around the theme “global transition towards a multilateral and sustainable world”. The Summit was framed by distinguished guests from the French Treasury and the business world, as well as visits to the embassies.

The 2010 Summit took place in Vancouver, Canada and was the first to invite all G20 nations. It was also the first time the European Union was represented. This laid ground for an ever broader and more realistic approach of the Youth Summits, which became continued 2011. The Summit in Vancouver was proceeded by a European pre-Summit. The outcome of which had a major influence on the the 2010 Final Communiqué.

From 2006 to 2009 the Youth Summits resembled the young version of the G8 Summits. Consequently in 2006 the Y8 Summits took place Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2007: Berlin, Germany, 2008: Yokohama, Japan, and 2009: Milano, Italy. The scale of the events has grown ever since and in 2010 the entire G20 was present.